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7 Fast Ways to Create a Rock Solid Blog Post People Want to Share

By Tim Davis · Comments (0)
Saturday, January 28th, 2012

Does everyone have a blog these days? It seems that way, although we all know that is simply not true. There are still 3 people on a small island that have not yet started their blog. Nevertheless, if you are a blogger, are thinking about blogging or maybe you just read blogs the big pay-off that bloggers desperately seek are more comments and more shares.

Most bloggers, myself included, experiment around with what people like, share and even comment on. It can be a lot like fishing, not that I go fishing…

In fact I like to refer to myself as an indoor pet. Ok, back to the post. If you are looking for more ways to get people to share your blog, here are my top 7

  1. Have a compelling headline. I find that “How To” and “Question” headlines work great. I have also found that adding “Here’s how…” or “Read what I mean…” at the end of your headline works great too. Here is a great FREE tool that you can use to get over writer’s block – http://www.internetmarketingcourse.com/freeheadlinegenerator/
  2. Write from the heart. Seriously, don’t make crap up. Say it from the heart. You can see what I mean by reading SlimDownDiva.com
  3. Speak to the needs of your audience. Don’t ramble about irrelevant information. Give your readers real content that they can use to improve their lives, business or bank accounts.
  4. Add a great photo. Don’t steal photos from the Internet, but always include a great photo. You can buy them very inexpensively at iStockphoto.com or do what I do, add pictures you take with your smart phone. What do you think of the one of me? Don’t ask…it’s a long story
  5. Add some humor. People want quality content, but they much prefer to be entertained so adding humor always increases the chance your post will be shared, but like Bon Qui Qui says…”don’t go crazy”
  6. Make your post timely. The news, events and other timely issues will always receive more attention simply because major media outlets are also talking about the issues.
  7. Ask. Sounds simple doesn’t it? Yet few people ask for comments or shares. Let me show you how that is done…

Would you leave me a comment and please tweet or share this post? Who knows it just might make you famous :)

 

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Categories : Social Media, Uncategorized
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What Motivates People to Share Your Blog, Tweet or Facebook Status

By Tim Davis · Comments (0)
Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

If you know what motivates people to pass your content on, you have a much better chance of getting them to keep doing so in the future.

Why is it that people are willing to continually pass on content from certain sites to friends, while not at all for other sites?

These are some of the main factors in play when it comes to why people pass on certain pieces of content.

Thinking Emotionally Rather Than Logically

Really great marketing gets people to take action by having them think emotionally rather than logically. For example, if a video gets someone really shocked and outraged about some political position, they might post that video on their Facebook wall without necessarily double-checking any of the facts in the video.

It wasn’t necessarily that the video presented shocking facts, but the fact that they managed to get the watcher in an outraged emotional stage.

If you can get your content to really get people fired up, they’ll often be much more willing to pass it on to their network.

 Wanting Their Friends to Have a Good Experience

This principle is very basic. It’s the same reason why we recommend restaurants and movies to friends: we just want them to have a better experience.

If you create a website that helps people in a certain industry do things faster and cheaper, there’s a good chance your content will get passed around simply because people want their friends to have a better experience.

To make this process easier, it often helps to have “sound bite sized” pieces of information. For example, if you run a website about how to repair your credit, instead of having someone just pass on your website, it’s much easier for them to pass on an infographic specifically about how to repair your credit before buying a home, if they had a friend who’s on the verge of buying.

 You Helped Them; They Want to Help You

Have you ever had the experience of getting such great customer service that you wanted to return the favor? For example, you go to a restaurant whose service is so spectacular that you feel like you want to bring more people to their establishment just because you want to help them out.

If your clients get the sense that you’re really looking out for them and that you really care about them, they’ll often be willing to return the favor.

Ordinary service doesn’t elicit this kind of loyalty. But if you provide exceptional service, this kind of marketing can be one of the most powerful marketing tools in your arsenal. Many viral campaigns work just based on using one of these principles. A few of them activate all three principles and really take off. Which ones make the most sense for your business?

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Categories : Marketing, Social Media, Uncategorized
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How Information Products Build Your Personal Brand and Attract Customers – Part 1

By Tim Davis · Comments (0)
Friday, January 13th, 2012

Information Products Make YOU the EXPERT!

Are you addicted to information products? Many people around the world are. They’re quick and easy, they help us solve problems in our life and they’re a great way to gain education and knowledge without having to leave our homes.

Additionally, they’re instantly accessible. We can download a workshop, book or expert interview and read it or watch it on our mobile devices, from our couch or while sitting in the waiting room at the doctor’s office.

Information products have become immensely popular and are one of the best ways to build your Personal Brand!

Because of their popularity information products also have the ability to serve a number of business building functions.

Information products can:

Just looking at what an information product or products can do for your personal branding is enough to make you want to get creating, right? Before you begin creating an information product, however, it’s important to determine your ultimate goal.
What Do You Want Your Information Product to Accomplish?

This is the first question to answer. Once you have the answer to this question, then you can move onto the actual product creation process.

So…what’s your product’s goal?

Take some time to contemplate the answer. Look at where your business currently stands. Are you looking for more traffic? Do you want an introductory product in your sales funnel? Do you need to add a top level product to your sales funnel? Do you need to build an opt-in list?

Action Step – Start with your goal first. Write down what you want to accomplish with your information product.

Want to know more? Join me February 10th, 2012 in Nashville for the Personal Branding Mastery Conference! I will show you the exact blueprint to make YOU the Go-To Expert in your business!

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Categories : Leadership, Marketing, Personal Branding, Sales, Uncategorized, video, video marketing, Writing Your Book
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The #1 Reason that Keeps Speakers from Getting Paid to Speak

By Tim Davis · Comments (0)
Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011

So you have this burning desire to be a speaker, right? So much so that you jump at the chance to speak regardless of if you are getting paid or not…am I speaking to you?

I understand because I would go speak for free just to be able to speak because I love inspiring, encouraging and adding value to people until I realized the one big reason that I wasn’t getting padi to speak…

I wasn’t asking.

Sounds simple doesn’t it? If you don’t ask, then why would anyone pay you?

Sometimes we make business complicated when all we really need to do is just ask. The biggest reason that most speakers don’t ask to get paid is that they are afraid. If you have a great message and deliver great content, then you are entitled to be compensated.

If just one person takes one idea and it changes their life, what is that worth? No one could even come close to putting a price tag on that kind of information, so if you want to get paid to speak, learn to ask. It really is that simple.

 

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Categories : Marketing, Speaking, Uncategorized
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Try This Bold Marketing Move to Build Credibility for Your Brand

By Tim Davis · Comments (0)
Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

Building your personal brand takes time. People need to know about you, like you and ultimately trust you before they will do business with you; however there are some outrageously bold moves that you can make to help your brand appear more credible.

One of my favorite is to have banner stands. I posted a picture of a banner stand we had created my new children’s book – Squiggly’s Race to the Ark.

Creating this type of banner is very easy. We purchased ours from a local Fast Signs office. Most franchises like Fast Signs will even have graphic designers that will help you create the actual banner.

Having a banner for your business, especially if you are a solo-prenuer, coach, speaker or service based professional will make your personal brand more credible in several ways. Here are 5 ways a banner stand will build your brand.

  1. It gives you credibility. Anytime you have professional graphics, your credibility increases. Over 70% of the population are “visuals” meaning that they believe more of what they actually see.
  2. It attracts a crowd. Well designed banners will attract a crowd because people want to see what it is all about and what business owner doesn’t want more people coming to them?
  3. It gets people talking. 99% of the people reading this post will agree that this is a good idea, yet do nothing about it. For those few brave souls willing to step outside the boat, people will begin to talk and getting people to talk about you and your business is a good thing!
  4. It adds influence to your personal brand. Having a large banner adds to your influence because while most people would love to have one, few will get one. When you do something that most people want to do, you build more influence.
  5. It builds your confidence. Anytime I work with my coaching clients I emphasize the importance of confidence. Having your own banner, audio CD or even your own book is just as much about building confidence as it is about marketing.

If you are just launching your brand, give this strategy a shot and I promise you will be amazed at how fast this increases your credibility, influence and business!

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Categories : Marketing, Personal Branding, Uncategorized
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5 Things Your Customers Won’t Tell You that Could Be Costing You Business

By Tim Davis · Comments (2)
Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

Every business needs customers, but before you get a customer, you get a prospect. ( and probably a few suspects as well). Great marketing can bring you in a flood of new customers, but if you or your team are making these mistakes, then you could be losing business.

I teach my clients all the time that marketing is everything from what you do to get customers in the door (external marketing) to what you are saying and doing to convert them into paying clients (internal marketing). An example of internal marketing would be how the receptionist greets customers.

Most customers won’t tell you things that are hurting your business, they simply just walk away into the proverbial sunset and the majority of business owners think they lost them on price alone.

Here are 5 things that are slowly killing your business and your customers may never say a word to you about them.

  1. They don’t understand what you are saying. Industry language is find for the company party or seminar, but drop the use of acronyms and industry terms when you are talking to your clients. Use common everyday language and analogies that help them to understand how you can serve their needs.
  2. They don’t feel appreciated. Just like Norm says, “You want to go where everyone knows your name” Take time to acknowledge your clients in a special way. I have several clients who put the names of clients coming to their office on a special board in the lobby so when the customer arrives, they feel special. Send thank you cards is another great way of letting your customers know you appreciate them and their referrals.
  3. Your voice mail sounds scary. They will never tell you if your voice mail makes them feel as if they have called the morgue, but you better have an upbeat tone if you want to make more sales. If I get a voice mail, at least make me think you love your job rather than make me feel like I have bothered you.
  4. Your wardrobe could use an update. Who wants to tell someone they need to take a trip to the mall because their clothing is to tight or is simply out of style? No one, including your customers, but they do notice and how you dress could be turning away lots of business.
  5. They want someone who is confident and will lead them to the the solution. People want their problems solved and they want a confident person to guide them to the solution. Giving your customers way to many options will confuse them and they will simply leave because they don’t know what to do. Ask great questions, uncover the problem, then professional take control and guide your client to the solution you offer. They will never tell you that you gave them too many choices to make a decision or that you lacked the confidence to solve their problem, they just leave.

Being successful at business means much more than handling the obvious – it means taking care of the little things so you can multiply your clients, serve more people  and have a life.

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Categories : Business, Sales, Uncategorized
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7 Pearls of Wisdom I Have Learned About MLM’s

By Tim Davis · Comments (2)
Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

I have been wanting to write a post about MLM’s (multi-level marketing) aka direct selling for some time so here it is…

I have people ask me about MLM’s quite often and so I wanted to share with you what I know about them, what I think about them and what will make you successful should you decide to get involved as a distributor for one of them.

First off, I believe that the direct selling model is a very viable business model when it is set up correctly. Some of the biggest names in business recommend direct selling as well. Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki both endorse the MLM model of business and with their track record I would say that their endorsement carries a lot of weight.

Over the years I have been involved with a couple of different MLM companies. In fact I am a distributor for two right now, Send Out Cards and Talkfusion. (Those are direct links to my distributor pages so if you decide you want to join them read this entire post first.)

I find both of these companies products very valuable in growing my other businesses so they are a natural fit for me. I use Send Out Cards in all of my businesses as well as my personal contacts and I use Talkfusion to stay in contact with prospects and customers for my coaching and speaking businesses as well. I would basically be using these products whether they were direct selling models or not, but enough about that, let’s get to the heart of the matter and why I wrote this post. Because I get asked about MLM a lot, I wanted to share with you my thoughts in case you were considering any MLM organization.

That actually leads me into the 7 truths that YOU need to know about MLM’s and if it is right for you.

  1. It is a business. Don’t get fooled that working 5 hours a week or throwing house parties will make you a gazillionaire, because it won’t. This industry is a golden opportunity for people who understand it is a business and that starting a business takes time, energy and money. Everyone who owns any type of business will tell you that it is hard work, but working hard now means you may not have to work hard later. Starting a business requires a plan and that is always just a little more than circles on a dry erase board.
  2. You need to have drive to succeed. Everyone wants to be successful, but not everyone has the inner desire to succeed long term. There is a BIG difference between getting motivated at an event and staying motivated when you hit a sales slump. Every top performer I know has a slump from time to time, but the one’s who are driven can pull themselves out. 
  3. You need to have a plan, just like any other business. Every successful business has a plan. A set of goals that are measured and tracked on a regular basis. Your plan has to be more than calling a few friends and relatives. That could be a start, but your plan better have a larger reach if you are going to succeed.
  4. You need to master marketing if you plan to succeed. 80% of any successful business is marketing. It is okay if you don’t know anything about marketing when you start, but it is deadly if you don’t invest a huge amount of time studying how to become a master marketer and at the same time build a powerful personal brand. Get my free e-book on personal branding mastery here!
  5. You need to learn to deal with rejection. People will say no. People will join and not work. People will quit. It is all part of growing a business, so you must get used to it and fast. If rejection send you into your room to pull the covers over your head, then you may want to consider another source of income.
  6. You need to be able to motivate yourself and lead others. This industry is part product sales and a large part recruiting other distributors. If you don’t get up motivated everyday, then you may find yourself on the outside looking in. And when you are successful at finding others to join, then you will have to lead the vast majority of them. You brought them in, so in the majority of cases you will need to lead them through.
  7. You need to be passionate about the product or service. Like I said before, I jumped into several companies blinded by the income opportunity and not at all passionate about the product. If you want to sell, then you better bring passion and enthusiasm to the table. They are contagious and everyone I know that has a successful MLM has both of these qualities turned on full blast. You better believe in the product or service to the point you are “shouting from the rooftops about how great it is”. I have found that people who are successful in sales have a BIG MOUTH and that is easy when you love what you do. 

Like I said earlier, I think the direct-selling industry is a great business model. Over the years it has taken a beating and in some cases a bad rap, but the model still stands. If you feel like you can get after it and make a difference for others and yourself, then go for it, but like I tell all of my coaching clients…

“You can’t be half pregnant, get all in or get all out”

But here is the kicker…These pearls of wisdom apply to other business models as well…just a thought.

 

 

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Categories : Business, Marketing, Networking, Uncategorized
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What will it take to go for your dream?

By Tim Davis · Comments (10)
Wednesday, November 9th, 2011

Every now and then certain people come into your life that you know are heading for big things. They light up a room and bring joy and encouragement to everyone they meet. Denai Vaughn was one of those all to rare bright shining lights in this world. Tragically, she went  to heaven on Monday November 7th as a result of an automobile accident.

Denai came into my life about 5 years ago as I was just entering the world of coaching, speaking and training. We met through a mutal friend on Facebook and over the years I interviewed her on my podcast and she interviewed me on her podcast. She was on of the first people to endorse and review my very first book. I could always count on Denai for an endorsement, introduction, or simply a word of encouragement.

Denai had a real zest for life and helping people connect. She was affectionately known as “The Networking Queen” I can’t tell you how many of my presentations contain references to her branding as an example of how to stand out from the crowd. You knew Denai had entered the room or conversation with every “WHOHOO” she shouted. She was an encourager of people. She loved Jesus, her husband and her little girl. She believed that everyone had enormous potential and she used every form of media to make that fact known.

She made so many connections for others with never asking for help herself. That was her style. The notion that it is truly better to give than receive.

She was in the middle of launching several new ventures including Excellence Worx but on the day she passed away, she had completed what would be her final podcast. The topic…Episode 44: Grief – Loss of a Spouse, Parent, Child(ren)
 

Unknowingly, this podcast would become her words to us from beyond this life on how to handle the sudden loss of a loved one.

So what do you do when that phone call comes in telling you that your friend has unexpectedly passed away? How do you react? What do you say?

I don’t know that I have all or even any of the answers, but I do know this…

  • Life is short
  • No one is guaranteed tomorrow or even the next breath
  • EVERYONE has a hope, a dream or a goal AND

Right now is the time that you need to start working towards your dream, not tomorrow, not next week, and not when that little voice of excuses tells you that it can’t happen. Now is the time we all put on our big boy or girl pants and get started making the world a better place.

For me, I have the comfort of knowing that Denai is now networking on streets of gold. She has gone ahead of us to make new connections, just like she did while she was with us here. I am sure that when we make it to the gates, we will see Denai and after a loud “WHOHOO” she will begin making introductions, connections, and asking that one question we all need to get better at…

“what can I do for you?”

 

 

 

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Categories : Personal Growth, Successful Living, Uncategorized
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Everyday I publish an online newspaper without lifting a finger and you can too! Here’s how

By Tim Davis · Comments (2)
Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

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What I have discovered about growing your business, getting more opportunities, and attracting more customers

By Tim Davis · Comments (0)
Friday, May 27th, 2011

I went to a business seminar yesterday and the speaker said something that was very profound. He said that every self employed, commissioned sales person, and entrepreneur places 4 bets each day they get up.

We bet the following:

  1. Our time
  2. Our money
  3. Our energy
  4. Our creativity

Now if you ask me, those are some pretty big bets we are willing to lay down each day. When you really think about the bets you are placing on the table, you also have to think about how you are allocating your time. Are you doing the task that generate revenue? Here is what I have found. Read More→

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Categories : Business, Marketing, Sales, Uncategorized
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