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Help Me Fill “The Brag Bag”

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Did you know your target audience EXPECTS you to brag?

It’s true!

No one wants to work with a loser, right?

Bragging the right way will help you build relationships while you increase sales and revenue.

Everybody likes to hire professionals or purchase products or services they can brag about.

Your potential customers and clients want to hear about …

  • Obstacles you’ve overcome
  • Success stories of clients you’ve worked with
  • Awards you’ve won
  • Contests and challenges you’ve entered or sponsored
  • Your sales volume for the month
  • Those glowing testimonials from happy customers
  • Successful collaborations with colleagues
  • Charities and causes you support and believe in
  • Products or services you offer that help change people’s lives
  • Business-building tools and software you love
  • Coaches and mentors who have helped you succeed
  • The blog post that earned you 100′s of comments
  • Your proudest moment as an entrepreneur
  • Times you’ve been in the spotlight
  • Your secret sauce for success

So don’t believe it when someone tells you “bragging” is bad.  

It’s just the opposite – it’s good for business — and it’s essential to your success.

So …
If you could choose just ONE thing to “brag” about today, what would it be?

Post it in the comment box and let’s see how fast we can fill “The Brag Bag”!

Filed Under: Bragging, Brand yourself online, Building relationships online Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

What’s Your Online Persona?

By 8 Comments

Your “second life” – the one you live on the internet – requires strategies for basic online reputation management and essentials for creating your online persona.

Persona?  What’s that?!

In a nutshell, it’s your fabulous presence online – your Fab Factor.

A little fuzzy on the concept?

Here’s the dictionary version of persona:

The role that one assumes or displays in public or society; one’s public image or personality, as distinguished from one’s inner self; a person’s perceived personality, personal image; public role.

The key word here is “public” and in this case – your online public.  So remember …

The information you post and share online has all the confidentiality of a postcard.

Assume anything you post or—are tagged by—is visible to the world‐at‐large.  Know what’s out there about you and monitor your digital dirt!

You can influence your own online persona in lots of ways and on a wide variety of platforms – social media venues, blogs, personal website, and social bookmarking sites to name a few.

Following general netiquette rules is a must.  And remember that developing an online persona is a process, not a transaction.

Want to know more about how to create a fab persona online? Claim your FREE report from my friend Cathy Goodwin, “3 Easy and Essential Steps to Create Your Fabulous Presence Online”. It’s only 5 pages long and you’ll learn things like why being “intriguing” is much more important than being “memorable”.

You need to know this information since you want to attract more clients and sell more products online, right?

Filed Under: Blogging, Bragging, Building relationships online Tagged With: , , , ,

Babies Can Teach Us A Lot About Marketing

By 6 Comments

Babies are soft and sweet and gentle, wouldn’t you agree?

But sometimes they can be doggone loud!

Those are the moments they will instantly and effectively grab your attention, awaken you from a sound sleep, call you away from the dinner table, or even cut your shower super short.

What can you learn from babies that will help you market your business online?

Babies are great at taking center stage, tooting their own horns, and getting someone to take action. And that’s exactly what you need to do as an online marketer in order to reach your business goals.

Pardon the pun, but you can’t take “baby steps” and be shy about it. Many solo professionals I’ve met would rather do a root canal on a Rottweiler than promote themselves. They’re afraid of coming across as sales-y and no one likes a pain-in-the-patootie sales person.

I’m not suggesting you annoy your target market by pitching, pouncing, prodding, and pestering (loud and obnoxious never wins any awards). Instead, learn how to become an expert at Bragging — the right way.

Your clients and potential clients want to work with a winner, someone who is skilled at alleviating their pain and solving their problems. They want you to brag and they want to brag about you.

Ask yourself these questions as you put together your marketing messages: “Why would someone want to hire YOU? What are your strongest selling points that set you apart and make you stand out? If someone were to brag about you, what would they say?”

Friend and colleague, Cathy Goodwin of Copy Cat Copywriting, has an mp3 recording and 25-page workbook called Bragging101 for under twenty dollars that is a phenomenal tool that teaches you how to market confidently without sounding like a used car salesman. I use it in my own business and refer back to it often. If you have a fear of bragging, check it out.

If your current marketing strategy and self-promotion resembles that of a sleeping baby, it’s time to wake it up!

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Filed Under: Bragging, Build an online empire, Making money on the internet, Online Marketing, Online Promotions Tagged With: , , , ,

Create Something Buzzworthy

By 12 Comments

According to the Urban Dictionary, “Buzz” means …

Excitement, hype, cool gossip, joy, exhilaration, tantalizing!

Something that creates excitement, hype or a thrill.

Something that generates hype, cool gossip, talk, exciting rumors.

Anything that creates excitement or stimulus.

The feeling experienced by someone in a stimulated state.

Notice the repetition and emphasis on certain words?

Urban Dictionary has certainly made their point!

The very best buzz you can create in your business is through the positive experiences of a happy client or customer.  When people start passing the word around about you, you’ll know you’re doing something right.

Great customer service, exemplary follow up and follow through, attention to detail, and good interpersonal relationship-building skills will naturally create buzz for you and your business.

So are people talking about you?  What are they telling others about you?

Word-of-mouth is the best form of advertising and, hence, the best kind of buzz.

If people aren’t talking about you, start to think of ways you can get the ball rolling!

Filed Under: Advertising, Bragging, Building relationships online, Buzz, Customer Care Tagged With: , , , , ,

10 Ideas For Using Twitter As A Results-Driven Marketing Tool

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Listen to this post if you like!


I’m a big fan of Twitter and I believe Social Media Marketing is essential if you’re trying to build your business online.

You can’t turn a blind eye, ignore the fact, sweep it under the rug, or crawl into a hole of denial.  Take a look at television ads these days. Social media venues are here to stay!

The last time I checked, Twitter is growing in popularity by 40% a month! If you’re struggling or confused about out how to utilize Twitter as an effective, results-driven marketing tool, let me share some strategies that will help you to get the most out of Twitter.

Keep these guidelines handy for using Twitter to brand yourself and market your business:

  • Provide value and share biz tips and tools
  • Create anticipation
  • Drive conversation
  • Showcase your Biz
  • Announce important events and product launches
  • Build community
  • Be helpful and answer questions
  • Brag a bit! You deserve it. And show a little personality!
  • Experiment with giveaways, discounts, and contests
  • Post surveys

In keeping with proper and acceptable etiquette, make sure that less than 10% of your Tweets involve any kind of selling or promoting. So what should you be Tweeting about?

Re-Tweet information from your followers that you find useful, funny, or relevant.

Share Twitpics – the most opened links on Twitter!

Communicate newsworthy items and events and be sure to ask your followers to Re-Tweet messages for you.

Speak in your authentic voice and show why your biz and you are pretty cool!

Send out welcome Tweets to new followers (no selling, please) and become the go-to person in your niche by providing helpful tips and resources and answering questions from your target market.

Promote what you want to promote, but keep relationship building your highest priority.

Not quite sure how to “brag” the right way on Twitter?

The biggest challenge is getting over the “fear” of bragging. My friend and colleague, Cathy Goodwin, can help. Just get her mp3 recording and 25-page workbook by going to: BRAGGING 101 (This is my affiliate link and I give it my highest recommendation) Tiny investment – Big results!

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Filed Under: Bragging, Building relationships online, Internet Marketing Tools, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking Tagged With: , , , ,

Are Branding and Bragging Cousins? Or Twins?

By 15 Comments

Prefer to listen to this post?

I’ll let you decide.

Your brand is NOT your logo, company name, or product.  Your brand is your Online Identity.

It’s your unique selling proposition and what distinguishes you from others in your profession.  Your brand is “You”.

Objectives in achieving a stand-out-from-the-crowd brand include:

  • Delivers your marketing message clearly and concisely
  • Establishes your credibility through testimonials, awards, and accomplishments
  • Emotionally connects to your target market to alleviate their fears, anger, or frustration
  • Motivates the buyer or client through the use of stories
  • Cements user loyalty through great follow up and customer service

There is nothing more relevant than authenticity and honesty. So, who are you and why should I trust you? THAT’S your brand and THAT’S what you need to brag about.

Here’s what your target audience is thinking:

  • If I can identify with you, I’ll listen attentively to your experiences.
  • If you’re like me and you know something interesting, I want to hear about it.
  • If you’ve mastered something and you tell me how you did it, I find this attractive.

If you cultivate your persona as your brand, you can positively and effectively market your expertise to your target audience.

So how do you cultivate your persona? BRAG about yourself.

Your prospects, clients, and customers WANT you to brag.  They need to be assured that they’re working with a confident, experienced, and reliable professional so they EXPECT you to brag.

So, what have you decided?  Are branding and bragging cousins or twins?

You should know …
There’s a right way and a wrong way to brag! Check out the Bragging 101 Home Study Course to increase your confidence and showcase your talents and skills to grow your business … without sounding like a used car salesperson!

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Filed Under: Bragging, Building relationships online, Customer Care, Online Marketing, Storytelling Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Start Exercising Those Finger Muscles!

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Put your arms down at your sides and give your hands a good shake!

Then raise your arms above your head and wiggle your fingers.

That’s not quite enough.  A little more wiggling, please.

Great!  Now you’re ready to join the next 30-day blogging challenge starting June 1st – just three days from now.

However, you may need to repeat the exercise above several times during the challenge cause you’ll be bangin’ away at the keyboard and bloggin’ your little heart out!

FREE registration for the 30-Day Blogging Challenge hosted by Jeanette Cates of Tech Tamers.

You won’t believe the dynamite members area she’s created for all the participants!  Check it out.  It’s fabulous.

I just completed my very first blogging challenge a couple of weeks ago and it was the most amazing event with wonderful takeaways.  I can’t wait to join in the excitement again!

If you’d like to have the chance to meet some innovative, creative, and super talented experts in their field and some of the finest bloggers you’ll ever cross paths with …

Sign Up for the 30-Day Blogging Challenge Right Now!

Build new relationships, be interviewed as a guest expert, and create some opportunities for JV’s and other collaborative projects.  This is the perfect opportunity to have tons of fun,  greatly improve your writing skills,  and build your brand – your online identity.

See you there!

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Filed Under: Blogging, Bragging, Building relationships online, Improving writing skills, Joint Ventures Tagged With: , , , , ,
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