Simplify Your Small Business Podcast: Recent Episodes
Rembrandt Communications and Podcast and Radio Networks
Simplify Your Small Business offers quick tips in minutes to help your business grow. Learn expert insights on simple things you can do today to help bring in new customers, enjoy a competitive edge, boost sales, and much more! As an entrepreneur, you’re busy. Now, you can get unique ideas and information to catapult your small business to the next level with these short segments (less than 15 minutes each)!
Do you know how to get the best results when you do a media interview? Discover some simple tips to have the most successful results possible in this episode! For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit The Small Business PR Academy at https://www.smallbusinesspracademy.com and Audivita Studios at http://podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
You have many forms of content you use to present your business brand, products and services to the public. But what are you really getting out of this content? Find out more with David Wolf and Melanie Rembrandt in this episode! For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications® at https://www.rembrandtwrites.com and Audivita Studios at www.audivita.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
You had a horrible interview and said all of the wrong things. What do you do? Learn some simple tips on how to deal with this situation in this episode. For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit The Small Business PR Academy at https://www.smallbusinesspracademy.com and Audivita Studios at http://podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If your business is all about speed and getting one marketing piece out there after another, that’s great. But you may be missing some key secrets to success! In this episode, David Wolf and Melanie Rembrandt talk about getting the most out of your marketing processes possible! For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications® at https://www.rembrandtwrites.com and Audivita Studios at www.audivita.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
As an entrepreneur, you probably spend most of your time working on your business. With this in mind, have you lost control of your live? Do you spend most of your “free time” and weekends at your computer? If so, it’s time to regroup! Here are a few quick tips from Melanie Rembrandt and David Wolf to get your life back!
For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications® at https://www.rembrandtwrites.com and Audivita Studios at www.audivita.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Do you know what to do if something negative about your small business goes viral and media members and customers start calling you? Find out in this episode with experts David Wolf and Melanie Rembrandt! For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit The Small Business PR Academy at https://www.smallbusinesspracademy.com and Audivita Studios at http://podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
To build relationships with customers, boost sales and grow your business, there is one major thing that you need to take care of at the very beginning of every relationship - expectations. In this episode, David Wolf and Melanie Rembrandt dive into some quick tips on how you can exceed customer expectations and see greater success. For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications® at https://www.rembrandtwrites.com, The Small Business PR Academy at https://www.smallbusinesspracademy.com and Audivita Studios at http://podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If you write your own content or have someone on your team writing all of your copy for you, there are some simple issues to be aware of that can mean the difference between sales success and total failure! Check out these valuable tips from Melanie Rembrandt and David Wolf.
For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications® at https://www.rembrandtwrites.com and Audivita Studios at www.audivita.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
You’ve heard all the buzz that you need a newsletter, so you set one up. Now what do you do to get the most out of it? Listen to hear Melanie and David’s tips to get the best results from your new newsletter possible. For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications® at https://www.rembrandtwrites.com and Audivita Studios at www.audivita.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What can you learn about marketing from traditional industries, like HVACR, to skyrocket your sales? Find out more in this episode as David Wolf and Melanie Rembrandt share their insights. For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications® at https://www.rembrandtwrites.com and Audivita Studios at www.audivita.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this episode, we interview guest Ruth King. Known as “The Profitability Master,” Ruth is a serial entrepreneur having owned 8 businesses in the past 37+ years. Through Business Ventures, she coaches, trains, and helps contractors and others achieve the business growth and goals they want to achieve, https://ruthkinghvac.com. For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit The Small Business PR Academy at https://www.smallbusinesspracademy.com and Audivita Studios at http://podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode, David Wolf and Melanie Rembrandt discuss the importance of good copywriting for your small business and tips to get the best results.
For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications® at https://www.rembrandtwrites.com and Audivita Studios at www.audivita.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How can you make LinkedIn work for your business? In this episode, David Wolf and Melanie Rembrandt talk to marketing expert, Bryan Durkin to get his tips on how to get more clients and grow your business fast with LinkedIn.
For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications® at https://www.rembrandtwrites.com and Audivita Studios at www.audivita.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If you are ready to purchase a popular a popular service for accounting, sales, CRM, marketing, PR, or something else, it’s important to think twice before hitting that “Buy” button. Why? In this episode, experts Melanie Rembrandt and David Wolf reveal how many of the “easy” solutions can end up being your biggest nightmare! For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications® at https://www.rembrandtwrites.com and Audivita Studios at www.audivita.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Are you overwhelmed with all of the social media platforms, apps, software, done-for-you services, and more out there? How do you know what really works and what doesn’t? Well, on this episode, you’ll discover the one, simple secret (it’s fast and inexpensive) that will get you massive communications success! For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications® at https://www.rembrandtwrites.com and Audivita Studios at www.audivita.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Don’t think you have any interesting news to share with customers, advertisers, the media and more? Every business has interesting and unique information to share! Discover how to find your newsworthy ideas to set your business apart and skyrocket sales with these inside tips from experts David Wolf and Melanie Rembrandt. For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications® at https://www.rembrandtwrites.com and Audivita Studios at www.audivita.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Most entrepreneurs have a lot going on and are working on many different projects all at once. We have big dreams and want big results. This inevitably creates frustration, so check out these helpful tips to move on to more positive times! For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications® at https://www.rembrandtwrites.com and Audivita Studios at www.audivita.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode, professional interior designer, Pamela Durkin, founder of Pamela Durkin Designs, https://pamela-durkin.com/, shares her tips on small business success. Listen as she shares secrets from her latest book, “Elevate! How to Take Your Business from the Ground Floor to the Penthouse.” For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications® at https://www.rembrandtwrites.com and Audivita Studios at www.audivita.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How can you be more successful in current times? Find out some valuable insights in this episode as David Wolf and Melanie Rembrandt speak to the award-winning speaker, television personality and business mentor, Lee Milteer. All listeners get a free gift offer from Lee as well, www.fivetypesofenergy.com ! For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications® at https://www.rembrandtwrites.com and Audivita Studios at www.audivita.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Most small business owners know that their websites need to show up in the search engines, so they do some kind of search engine optimization or SEO to improve their rankings. But, if you are new to this, it can be easy to get ripped off. To get the best results, check out these tips! For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications® at https://www.rembrandtwrites.com and Audivita Studios at www.audivita.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How do you fix a big marketing problem as a small business owner? On this special episode, we interview Justin Miller. Justin is a small business sales and marketing automation specialist, Infusionsoft certified partner and the president of Profit 911 Business Consulting. Listen to hear some quick tips to help your business boost sales! For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications® at https://www.rembrandtwrites.com and Audivita Studios at www.audivita.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
While public relations can give your small business a boost in awareness and credibility that can catapult sales, there is also a challenging side. You may have to deal with unanswered phone calls, broken promises and many other, stressful things out of your control. Listen to these insights from Melanie Rembrandt and David Wolf to make your PR experience more positive and get better results! For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications® at https://www.rembrandtwrites.com, The Small Business PR Academy at https://www.smallbusinesspracademy.com and Audivita Studios at http://podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
You know you need a blog, but it is a real pain. Well, it doesn’t need to be! Listen to these quick tips from David Wolf and Melanie Rembrandt to make blogging easier and gain a competitive edge! For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications® at https://www.rembrandtwrites.com, The Small Business PR Academy at https://www.smallbusinesspracademy.com and Audivita Studios at http://podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
You may not know this, but there are three, secret tactics you can use right now to boost sales for your business. And the best part is, they’re free! Find out more from David Wolf and Melanie Rembrandt on this episode! For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications® at https://www.rembrandtwrites.com, The Small Business PR Academy at https://www.smallbusinesspracademy.com and Audivita Studios at http://podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“I look fat, old and tired!” “Ugh. I can’t believe that’s me.” Sound familiar and don’t like the way you look on camera? Check out these tips from media experts Melanie Rembrandt and David Wolf in this episode. For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit The Small Business PR Academy at https://www.smallbusinesspracademy.com and Audivita Studios at http://podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
OMG. Your big media interview is moments away, and you’re a nervous wreck! Listen to this episode and experts Melanie Rembrandt David Wolf will give you some great tips to get over your fears and have fantastic results! For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit The Small Business PR Academy at https://www.smallbusinesspracademy.com and Audivita Studios at http://podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Do you have a boring business and don’t think the press will show any interest in you whatsoever? Think again! Check out this episode to learn how to find “secret” and exciting stories within your business that media members, and potential customers, will want to hear about right away! For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit The Small Business PR Academy at https://www.smallbusinesspracademy.com and Audivita Studios at http://podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Do you know how to get the best results when you do a media interview? Discover some simple tips to have the most successful results possible in this episode! For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit The Small Business PR Academy at https://www.smallbusinesspracademy.com and Audivita Studios at http://audivita.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Do you know what to do if something negative about your small business goes viral and media members and customers start calling you? Find out in this episode with experts David Wolf and Melanie Rembrandt! For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit The Small Business PR Academy at https://www.smallbusinesspracademy.com and Audivita Studios at http://audivita.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
After you send out your press release and share your news, what happens? The follow-up part of public relations is essential. Learn more in this episode with experts David Wolf and Melanie Rembrandt. For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit The Small Business PR Academy at https://www.smallbusinesspracademy.com and Audivita Studios at http://podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
As a business owner, you know you need public relations, or PR, but you may not know what it is. To find out more, check out these tips from experts Melanie Rembrandt and David Wolf. For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit The Small Business PR Academy at https://www.smallbusinesspracademy.com and Audivita Studios at http://podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Media members want to share something newsworthy and unique with their audience. Do you know what to say when reporters contact you? Find out in this episode! For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit The Small Business PR Academy at https://www.smallbusinesspracademy.com and Audivita Studios at http://podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this episode, we interview guest Ruth King. Known as “The Profitability Master,” Ruth is a serial entrepreneur having owned 8 businesses in the past 37+ years. Through Business Ventures, she coaches, trains, and helps contractors and others achieve the business growth and goals they want to achieve, https://ruthkinghvac.com. For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit The Small Business PR Academy at https://www.smallbusinesspracademy.com and Audivita Studios at http://podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If you don’t have a lot of money for marketing this holiday season, don’t despair. Public relations to the rescue! By getting some publicity and media coverage, you can gain positive awareness that will only cost you time and effort. Check out these valuable tips from Melanie and David in this episode! For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit The Small Business PR Academy at https://www.smallbusinesspracademy.com and Audivita Studios at http://podcastandradio.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
As a small business owner, you wear many hats and spend your day resolving problems, dealing with last minute issues, talking to customers, doing your own marketing, and more. Sometimes, you finally end your day and realize you didn’t really accomplish anything. In this episode, experts David Wolf and Melanie Rembrandt provide their tips on how you can finally start reaching your goals and get things done! For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications at www.rembrandtwrites.com, The Small Business PR Academy at www.smallbusinesspracademy.com, and Podcast & Radio at www.podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If you want to drastically improve your content without spending a fortune, there are some simple actions you can take to improve results. To enjoy better results from all of your marketing content, check out these tips from experts Melanie Rembrandt and David Wolf. For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications at www.rembrandtwrites.com, The Small Business PR Academy at www.smallbusinesspracademy.com, and Podcast & Radio at www.podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
You’ve heard about public relations or PR to get media interviews and boost publicity to your targeted audience, but are you using public relations on an internal basis to help your business grow? Check out these insights from experts Melanie Rembrandt and David Wolf you may be overlooking! For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications at www.rembrandtwrites.com, The Small Business PR Academy at www.smallbusinesspracademy.com, and Podcast & Radio at www.podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
You have a new business and need to increase sales fast. However, you don’t have any extra money to spend on marketing. What do you do? In this episode, experts David Wolf and Melanie Rembrandt provide ways to boost sales for your business without spending a cent. For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications at www.rembrandtwrites.com, The Small Business PR Academy at www.smallbusinesspracademy.com, and Podcast & Radio at www.podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We all know that when you are doing an interview over the phone or Internet, you need to have a clear connection free of background noise and distractions, but what are some things you can do to make your audio sound the best that it can in your situation? Find out in this episode from experts David Wolf and Melanie Rembrandt. For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications at www.rembrandtwrites.com,The Small Business PR Academy at www.smallbusinesspracademy.com, and Podcast & Radio at www.podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If a reporter calls you right now, are you ready to give a good interview? In this episode, David Wolf and Melanie Rembrandt provide 3 quick tips to sound your best. For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications at www.rembrandtwrites.com, The Small Business PR Academy at www.smallbusinesspracademy.com, and Podcast & Radio at www.podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
You may be sitting by the pool in the summer sun listening to this, but now is the perfect time to prepare for the holidays. Whether you like it or not, they’ll be here before you know it, and preparation time for your marketing and promotional activities will run out fast. Listen to this episode for tips from experts David Wolf and Melanie Rembrandt to start planning now. For additional tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications at www.rembrandtwrites.com, The Small Business PR Academy at www.smallbusinesspracademy.com, and Podcast & Radio at www.podcastandradio.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Do you use content marketing for your small business? Do you know what it is? Listen to Melanie Rembrandt and David Wolf provide quick tips on how to get the most out of all of your content to help boost sales while saving time and money. For additional information and tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications at www.rembrandtwrites.com and Podcast & Radio at www.podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If new technology makes you nervous, you’ll love this episode! In this podcast, Melanie Rembrandt and David Wolf provide some insights to help you use google search optimization to your advantage and calm your nerves moving forward! For additional information and tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications at www.rembrandtwrites.com and Podcast & Radio at www.podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When was the last time you actually thought about what you do on social media? Check out this episode where David Wolf and Melanie Rembrandt discuss a few things to avoid doing on social media so you don’t hurt your small business reputation or future career possibilities. For additional information and tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications at www.rembrandtwrites.com and Podcast & Radio at www.podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If you hate getting out of bed in the morning or lack energy about your business, you’ll want to hear this episode. David Wolf and Melanie Rembrandt provide simple tips to help you love what you do again and enjoy your work! For additional information and tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications at www.rembrandtwrites.com and Podcast & Radio at www.podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If you are a new entrepreneur, the first thing you probably think of when you hear "PR" is to send out a press release. But, “PR” does not just stand for “press release.” It stands for “public relations” and a complete set of actions, plans and goals to boost media coverage and positive awareness for your small business. Listen to this episode of “Simplify Your Small Business” with David Wolf and Melanie Rembrandt to learn more and how PR can help your organization thrive. For additional information and tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications at www.rembrandtwrites.com and Podcast & Radio at www.podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
While you may love all of the features your products and services offer to customers, do they? In this in this episode of “Simplify Your Small Business” with David Wolf and Melanie Rembrandt, discover the difference between benefits and features and how to use this information to increase sales fast! For additional information and tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications at www.rembrandtwrites.com and Podcast & Radio at www.podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If you aren’t using case studies to help your small business grow, you are missing out on a huge opportunity. They are cost-effective tools you can use in many different ways to build credibility, bring in new customers, garner media attention, and more. Find out what they are, how to create them and more in this episode of “Simplify Your Small Business” with David Wolf and Melanie Rembrandt. For additional information and tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications at www.rembrandtwrites.com and Podcast & Radio at www.podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When you write a quote from one of your executives to insert into a press release or marketing piece, what does it say about your business? Listen to this episode and find out what you definitely shouldn’t say, who should give the quote, what to include, and more! For additional information and tips to help your small business grow, visit Rembrandt Communications at www.rembrandtwrites.com and Podcast & Radio at www.podcastandradio.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Whether it’s content strategy, public relations, marketing, or laundry, it’s time to stop being overwhelmed! I don’t know about you, but since September started, things have really picked up with work. My “To Do” list is flowing onto several pages of new-business activities, content-strategy plans, SEO blogs, public relations, and more. And this doesn’t even include all of the “outside-of-work” things that need to get finished (laundry, cooking, grocery shopping, working out, etc.). Everyone is back to school and ready to work. If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed right now, I have a few tips to share that always help me… so here are… 3 Simple Ways to Get Things Done and Reduce Stress Instead of running around and going from one activity to the next, stop for a moment. Take a breath and focus. What needs to be accomplished right away? What needs to be finished by tomorrow, week’s end, and month end? If you just take some time to look at your true priorities, you’ll know which deadlines are looming and what REALLY needs to be accomplished right away. Once you take a moment to figure out your priorities, write down your action plan. And it doesn’t need to be a formatted document or take a long time. Just review your priorities and figure out how you are going to take care of each one in the time you have. Write down what you need to do with the appropriate deadlines, and then follow your plan! Get Help. Oh no! You look at your priorities and realize why you are overwhelmed. There is no possible way you can get everything done on schedule. This is when you seek help. While you may think it will take you more time to train someone than to just do the work yourself, think again. If you take the time now to find and train an assistant, think about how much effort, time and stress you’ll save in the future if you have someone ready to help you. And I’m sure there are many administrative tasks that you can easily hand-off to a trained, virtual assistant such as working with a database, making calls, research, and more. Plus, there are inexpensive services out there with people ready to help you. Check out various online sites like Upwork and others for “virtual assistants.” You’ll be surprised at what is available. Take Back Your Sanity. The holidays are on their way, and if you feel overwhelmed now, just wait. It’s going to get ugly… unless you take care of your schedule now. Stop and focus on what you really need to accomplish, figure out how you are going to finish your responsibilities on schedule and then actually do the work. And if you still feel overwhelmed, get help. You can control your workload and meet your deadlines. It’s a matter of taking a breath, focusing on what really matters and reaching out for help when necessary. Now, go look at your schedule and get organized! Then, you can enjoy all of the fun holidays ahead. What are you going to do today to focus on your priorities? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Something sneaky in your copy may be ruining sales! How do You Avoid Content-Strategy Errors? Marketing moves fast. While you’ve spent time to create a content strategy with an editorial calendar, good sales copy, the right search-engine-optimization (SEO) keyword phrases and more, you may be missing some important errors that can ruin the results of your efforts. Before your content goes live, here are a few things to add to your overall, strategy for the best results: Review overall, marketing messages. Do you know what is going on with your entire organization? All of your marketing messages should be uniform across departments, social media, events, and other mediums. Check with all of the right team-members for cohesiveness and timeliness before posting anything. Got errors? Proofread all content before it goes live. This may seem simple, but it’s important. Check for misspellings, grammatical errors, correct quotes, and more. After all, you want to make a good, first impression at all times. What’s going on in the world? Did a major, world event just occur that everyone is talking about? What’s going on right now in your industry or location? Check the news before you publish content. If you post something about a natural disaster, death, legal process, or other, sensitive issue at the wrong time, your copy could become a PR nightmare. If you publish the wrong messaging at the wrong time, you could lose thousands of dollars in sales and waste time and effort dealing with customer complaints and negative press. Because of this, I suggest you review the messaging, timing and copy in your content strategy before publishing anything. This way, you’ll be more likely to see successful results from your sales copy! www.rembrandtwrites.com www.podcastandradio.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If you simply don’t have time to do your own publicity, you can generate new sales and awareness fast by hiring a professional. But what should you look out for, especially if you have a tight budget? Well, in addition to reviewing credentials and references, here are three, key warning signs to be aware of when searching for a publicist: Big Promises Watch out for big promises and sales jargon. It’s almost impossible to guarantee media placements so ask for client testimonials. And if they can’t provide this information, look for another, PR option. Hidden Agendas If you sign with a large PR firm, confirm that you will have an experienced professional working on your account. The well-known publicists usually work on the bigger accounts so make sure you are getting what you pay for. Also, check for hidden fees or additional costs before moving forward. Negative Reviews Does the PR agency you want to hire have a positive listing with the Better Business Bureau, www.bbb.org, Public Relations Society of America, www.prsa.org, local area Chamber of Commerce, or other, credible organization? Check for reviews prior to signing any contracts. These are just three, quick tips to keep in mind when hiring a publicist. Good PR people can take your business to the next level of success. But bad publicists can cost you time, money and unnecessary stress. By taking a few minutes to conduct some research, you’ll significantly increase your chances of finding the right person to meet your specific needs and budget. www.rembrandtwrites.com www.podcastandradio.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Why Should Authors Turn Their Book into an Audio Book? It helps you reach another audience with the same content. You can get extra publicity by promoting this new product to your customer base and build more online awareness. It provides another product to give or sell to your target market Point: You already have the content, why not turn it into another sales or promotional product? www.audiobooksolution.com www.rembrandtwrites.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ken McElroy has experienced massive success in the real estate world–from investment analysis and property management to acquisitions and property development. With over $700 million investment dollars in real estate, Ken offers a unique perspective on how to get the biggest return on investments. Ken is the Real Estate Advisor to Robert Kiyosaki of the Rich Dad Company and is the author of several books, including the The ABC's of Real Estate Investing. www.kenmcelroy.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Kim Kiyosaki shares her experience and insights with Melanie and David on how best to simplify your small business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
While it’s still summer, holiday marketing planning is already in full swing. Retailers are already starting to hire for the holiday rush as the buying season begins earlier and earlier. With this in mind, here are… 3 tips to Prepare Your Holiday Marketing Campaign Now 1. Research. Look at what you did last year and what worked best. Also, review what your competitors did last year and where they are now. Study your industry and the habits of your target market. Figure out what is important to your customers and how you can solve their problems… especially during the holiday season. This detailed data will give you juicy nuggets of information to act on! 2. Create. Once you study your research findings, get creative. What can you offer that is unique to your business? Can you package your services in a special way? Can you create a special catalog or Tips book with valuable information pertinent to your customers?Maybe you can team up with another business or charity to offer something unique? It can be fun to think of new and creative ways to reach your audience during the holidays… especially when you are not faced with a tight deadline. 3. Plan. Once you know what you want to present during the holidays, you need to plan all of the details. Start with a calendar that includes all of your marketing, content and PR campaigns. Who is going to be responsible for various activities and when are the due dates? Do you need to hire extra help? How are you going to track results? What is your budget? Think of everything that needs to take place to make your campaign a success and create a detailed plan. This process takes time and effort, but it’s essential for success. With organization, everyone involved knows their responsibilities and timelines. While many business owners are still at the beach, you can gain a competitive advantage by focusing on the upcoming, winter holidays instead. Now is the time to do your research, create unique marketing and plan for the big, winter holiday sales season. You’ll save yourself a lot of stress from last-minute activities and be able to develop a well-organized campaign that will skyrocket sales. www.rembrandtwrites.com www.podcastandradio.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
3 Free Publicity Tools to Boost Sales Now! Do you want to boost sales, credibility and awareness fast without spending money? Do-it-yourself PR is the way to go. Here are 3 suggestions for starting your publicity campaign now: Make that call. Most new entrepreneurs are nervous about picking up the phone. But when it comes to reaching out to media members, it’s the best way to make contact and start a working relationship. After all, how are reporters going to talk about your business if they don’t know who you are or what you have to offer? As a business owner, you are an expert in your field and can provide valuable information to media members. Let them know you are available to help! Think about their needs first and how you can assist them with all of their stories. If you become a valuable resource, you’ll end up with press coverage you can’t buy! Use Search Engine Optimization (SEO). If you haven’t already done so, start using main keywords in all of your content. If you were a customer, what words would you use to find your products and services online? By incorporating these words into your online copy, marketing materials and press releases, search engines will have a better chance of finding you…and so will media members and potential customers! You can start here until you can afford to hire an expert SEO copywriter. Twitter Away. Are you tweeting on Twitter®? By following others, and obtaining followers, you can increase site traffic and awareness very quickly. Plus, you can share valuable information about your products and services and speak directly to customers. (Just be careful you don’t spend too much time on Twitter. It can be addictive!) These are simple tips, but they can make a big difference to get your small business noticed! www.rembrandtwrites.com www.podcastandradio.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If you’ve ever had a disagreement with a client, partner or employee over the use of certain words in your marketing or PR campaign, there are two simple ways to remedy this situation. Use AP Style. The Associated Press issues an updated book every year called the “AP Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law.” It’s available at http://www.apstylebook.com/. Basically, it provides a dictionary-like guide to correct spelling and grammar that is used by most media venues in the U.S. And since press releases usually follow this style anyway, why not use it to settle word disagreements? If your clients insist on using a certain word or style, point to the entry in the book and show the correct usage. You have set guidelines for everyone to follow, and the disagreements end. Test it. Another way to end disagreements about word usage is to test variations. Simply write your content and post two different versions. Monitor the results with Google Analytics or links and interactions you can track, and see which version received the most attention. You then have an uncontested winner! Why spend time on dumb arguments over word usage, grammar and style? Instead, use one of these solutions to enhance overall results and focus on more important, core business activities. www.rembrandtwrites.com www.podcastandradio.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If you need more time to get everything done each day, you may not be taking advantage of all of the minutes and hours your have. Here are a few things to be aware of throughout the day to help you accomplish more. How much time do you actually spend working each day on key activities? At the end of the day, write down what you actually spent your time doing. Did you waste a lot of time paying bills, adding names to a database, following social media, or something else? If you really look at where you spend your time each day, you can see where you can outsource administrative duties and other tasks so you can focus more on the activities that are core to your business success. Could you work earlier or later in the day? Whether you are a morning person or evening person, you may be missing out on some productive time early in the day or late in the night to get things done. Check to see when you are most productive throughout the day? When do you have quiet time to actually get things done without having to answer phone calls, respond to emails, communicate with employees, and more? By getting up a little earlier, or working later at night, you just might get more finished in that short time than you do in a long set of “regular work” hours throughout the day! What happens when you are stuck in traffic or a line? If you are stuck in a line somewhere, sitting in traffic, waiting on hold or something else, don’t look at this as a waste of time. Instead, review your daily goals, think of ways you can be more productive and use this time to think positive thoughts. Also, have an audio book or reading material with you at all times that will help you take your business to the next level. This way, your “wasted” time becomes productive time that helps you achieve your business goals. You may be surprised at how much time you actually have each day to accomplish your goals. Take a closer look and see what positive changes you can make! www.rembrandtwrites.com www.podcastandradio.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Too Many Tweets are For The Birds! How to use social media wisely. Social media can waste a lot of time… or help your small business grow. With this in mind, here are a few quick tips to help you get the most out of social media as a new entrepreneur… Do you Tweet too much on Twitter? Twitter is a fast way to send short messages to business associates, friends, family, and others. You simply enter up to t 280 characters, up from 140, and post. Everyone who follows you gets the update, and you can follow others, too. It’s fun and informative, but it can be addictive! To avoid wasting time, only accept legitimate followers, create a social media calendar and schedule some posts in advance. You can also use programs like Social Oomph, Hootsuite, and others to help organize your Tweets. Should you be on Facebook? Before you set up an account here, ensure that it will help your business. Are your customers using this social media platform? If so, add photos, links and messages to share valuable information about your services, expertise and current business activities on a regular basis. Also, respond to posts from others as soon as possible. What about Linkedn? Can business contacts find you on Linkedin? Take a few minutes to check out this online, networking tool and create your profile. You can search for past and current business associates and send messages. The site provides a great way to stay connected and meet people who can help you move your business to the next level. Just be sure to add value without “bugging” people with your sales message. These are just a few of the social media tools out there. But by familiarizing yourself with the “help” sections on each of these sites, you’ll get a great understanding of how to use them and find shortcuts to save time and effort in the process. Practice using each of these sites, and soon, you’ll be a social marketing pro. Just be careful you don’t spend too much time here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Don’t send messages out with bad grammar, spelling and content. Your targeted audience-members get bombarded with e-mails on a daily basis. Do you really think they are going to click on a link with mistakes in the subject line of your message? This creates a bad first-impression. After all, why should someone spend the time opening and reading your e-mail if you can’t take the time to proofread it? It may sound obvious, but be sure to check all of your messages carefully before pressing the “send” button. 2. Avoid sending messages that don’t provide value to your customers. People don’t want to hear about how great your business is, your latest hire or the features of your products and services. They want to know what’s in it for them and how you can help solve their problems. Offer valuable tips, insights and facts that they can actually use. Don’t send messages full of “fluff.” Instead of adding graphics, emoticons, All Caps, explanation points, long, run-on sentences, and more, get to the point! If you don’t have valuable information to share and a good message, don’t send out your e-mail at all. Only send emails with substance that provide unique information relevant to the recipient. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- It's Boring. Does your blog provide value to your target market? Is it unique and interesting?
If not, you are wasting time and effort. Your audience is bombarded with messages all day long so you have to be different and give your audience what they want.
In fact, does your audience even read blogs? If not, you may want to look at creating videos, Infographics, Webinars, and other types of content that they will actually view or listen to! 2. It’s Poorly Written. If you are writing your content for free, and are not a writer, or if you hire a cheap, $5.00 copywriter, you usually get what you pay for.
If you seriously want to improve sales, credibility and online awareness with your blog, you need to work with a professional and experienced writer.
Find a copywriter who understands your market and can write interesting, credible and unique information quickly. And be sure they understand search engine optimization as well for that competitive edge.
This way, you’ll get a lot more online coverage for each blog, and the expense of hiring a good, SEO copywriter will be well worth it. 3. You Have No Plan. What do you want your blog to accomplish? Do not just write to post something. Instead, create a plan with an editorial calendar. Decide on a specific goal for each blog, a topic and deadline date, the SEO keyword terms you are going to use, your call-to-action, and how you are going to track results. This way, you can monitor your blog to see if it’s appearing in search results and if your target audience is actually reading your post and following your call-to-action. If not, you can change your content accordingly for the best results. Without a plan to reach specific goals, how are you going to reach them? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s one of the few things in business where you have complete control. Once you write your specific message and publish it, that’s how it appears. You can engage customers, sell products and more in your own style and tone. It gives you a competitive advantage. You own your unique content and the competition cannot copy it. It’s how you can provide value to your target market in a way that the competition cannot touch. If you want to show up on the search engines, you must have good content. If your competitors post valuable content on a regular basis, and you don’t, they are going to get higher search rankings and steal customers away. You must have content in order to show up in search results. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Figure out what sources you need to check regularly to get the latest insights relative to your business. This may be a daily email, monthly magazine, blog or something else. Focus on a few, key resources to stay updated about the latest technology without getting information overload. Watch your competition. What social media venues do they use? What content are their customers reacting to most? What news are they announcing? Check your competitions’ websites and set up a Google alert to keep track of what they are doing relative to technology. Then, you can look at what they’re using and also pursue technology they’re not using for a competitive edge. Hire an intern or tech expert to help you. If you don’t have time to track or learn about the latest technology, hire someone who can keep an eye on it for you and provide regular reports. This way, you have the data you need without wasting a lot of time on research. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Podcast 4: How can you keep a positive attitude when facing major challenges as an entrepreneur? Move around and take time to do things you like to do. When at work, get up from your desk and out of the office for breaks throughout the day. And when away from the office, do some physical activity you like to do. That may be playing golf, taking yoga, running, or just spending time outdoors. Create a support group. Whether it’s a spouse, friend, family member, associate, etc., you need to find someone who can give you positive encouragement and listen to you vent about your issues and problems. It’s not good if you keep everything bottled up inside, and sometimes if you say what’s on your mind, solutions become more evident. Set a reminder. Write “think positive” on a post-it note and place it on your desk, put a rubber band around your wrist, place a photo of someone less fortunate in front of you, or make a list of the top 10 things you are thankful at the moment… whatever works for you to remind you that things aren’t so bad and you have a lot to be happy about.
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What are 3 things you can do to improve your content immediately? Use action verbs. Remove the word “we,” “he” and “she” and replace it with “you.” Talk directly to your customers. Write content that gives all of the great solutions, results and benefits customers will receive from using your products and services – Not about the features. www.rembrandtwrites.com www.podcastandradio.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A landing page is where customers “land” once they find your site via an online advertisement, email, social media campaign, diret mail piece, etc. This is the page you use to sell one specific product or service. Write content that solves your customers problems and gives all of the benefits you have to offer them for the specific thing you are selling. You can include testimonials for credibility, offer a guarantee to make them feel comfortable buying from you, and more. Include a call-to-action. For each landing page, you want your visitors to take one action and make it very easy for them to take that action. It can be a link that says “Click here to subscribe,” a big “Buy Now” button, a button that says, “Yes! I want this solution,” etc.
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Melanie and David share tips on streamlining and focusing on your customers. www.rembrandtwrites.com www.podcastandradio.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
David and Melanie provide simple tips you can use immediately to accomplish more each day. www.rembrandtwrites.com www.podcastandradio.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There are three things you can remove from your website right now to improve engagement, page visits, and more. www.rembrandtwrites.com www.podcastandradio.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Melanie and David discuss how to avoid distractions at work, especially if you work from home.
www.rembrandtwrites.com www.podcastandradio.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Don’t get overwhelmed with social media! Learn some key tips to focus on what’s really important for your small business. www.podcastandradio.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If you want third-party credibility you simply can’t buy, check out these positive publicity tips from Melanie and David. www.rembrandtwrites.com www.podcastandradio.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Stop any confusion about SEO, search engine optimization, and discover what you really need to know as a small business owner. www.rembrandtwrites.com www.podcastandradio.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
You know you need content, but exactly how do you use it for your specific business? Find out with these hot tips! www.rebrandtwrites.com www.podcastandradio.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this intro to the series, Melanie and David discuss what it means to simplify your business and enjoy life more! www.rebrandtwrites.com www.podcastandradio.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices