Build Your Brand

Why I Started This Blog

Almost a year ago,  I  wrote my first blog post to reach out to women who were re-inventing themselves.   If you want to read the more detailed explanation of why  I decided to start this blog,  you can click on this line of text.  And, to check out my special interest blog,  on the abilites that dogs have to change  your life, I invite you to visit:  HealingRescueDogs to see what I'm doing.

And, to read my recently published articles,  you can click here.

Jon Katz & Seth Godin Challenge the Publishing Industry

There are interesting things going on in the world of book publishing.  Over here,  Jon Katz is partnering with the owner of the Battenkill Bookstore to sell his latest book and to encourage people to patronize independent book stores. 

If you scroll through Katz' s blog posts,  you can follow the developing story.  To date,  using his blog,  YouTube and Facebook platforms,  and the web site for the book store,  over 300 copies of  Going Home - Finding Peace When Pets Die  have been sold.  In a relatively short time period.

One of those pre-sold books is mine. 

I called the Battenkill Bookstore last week and spoke with a charming woman about placing an order and we worked through the transaction details in less than 10 minutes. 

I've been reading Jon Katz's books for quite some time;  keeping up with what he's doing on his blog and web site and am looking forward to reading his newest book. 

Over here,  Seth Godin,  in partnership with Amazon,  has just announced that a limited number of his latest book  (11,000) will be sold.   And,  if you take the time to read his post,  he explains his rational for this promotion.  

I'm on Godin's  opt-in list for The Domino Project.   I've been on it since it's inception.   Which is how I know about Godin's new book,  We Are All Weird.  

And,  because  I like the fact that Seth Godin is typically ahead of the curve when it comes to where Things Are Headed,  I didn't hesitate to place my online order this morning for one of those 11,000 limited edition copies. 

If I base my own purchasing habits on what both Katz and Godin represent  (coming up with innovative ways to capture market share among readers),  there will always (I hope),  be room for  a productive blend of hard cover,  soft cover, and digital print media.  

You know.  Books.  In.  Different.  Formats.  But.  Still.  Books.

Original thought,  compelling new ideas and a committed readership.  We desperately need all three. 

Hopelessly Hooked on Books

Books.  Piles of books.  Three sit on my desk, one waiting to be reviewed;  two I'm reading with another three or four stacked in my bedroom waiting their turn. 

Books are my crack,  my hopeless addiction;  my therapy, my pure entertainment, my inspiration;  my feel good,  safe escape when escape is called for.  When I am stalled in other areas of my life, you can bet that the one thing I'm still doing is reading books,  ordering books,  going to libraries,  prowling the aisles of Barnes & Noble,  ordering books from Amazon, and hunting out the smaller, independent book stores when I can. 

Launch - How To Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond The Competition, by Michael A Stelzner.

Doc, by Mary Doria Russell.

Life from Scratch, by Melissa Ford.

Going Home - Finding Peace When Pets Die, by Jon Katz.

There are stories behind all of these books.  Two of them, Stelzner's and Ford's books, were ordered off of Amzaon's web site.   Read Launch  over a month ago and just got Life from Scratch in the mail yesterday.   

Interestingly enough, the first of these two books is a "how to" tutorial - proof that anyone can harness what they're passionate about and build a sustainable business online using online and offline systems to first build brand awareness and then to roll out a product. 

The second book,  Life From Scratch,  is an illustration of what Stelzner writes about, regardless of whether Ford was even aware of Stelzner's book. 

Doc literally fell into my hands last week as I cruised the new fiction shelf in the library.  As I posted on Facebook two days ago,  it is meticulously researched and beautifully written.   For a language - lover (that would be me), this book is like a glass of aged malt scotch.  It goes down with a richness that needs to be s-l-o-w-l-y savored. 

Going Home is in "pre-launch."  It's official sell date in September 27 or September 29th.  Yesterday,  I called the Battenkill Bookstore and placed my order.  Like Launch and Life From Scratch,  Katz's latest book is an example of how some books are coming to the attention of readers using Social Media. 

Using his blog, YouTube channel and Facebook presence,  Katz has created awareness for his latest book with an audience already familiar with his books.  And, as a supporter of independent book stores, he started talking about this book to his fans by suggesting that they consider ordering it through the Battenkill Bookstore. 

More than 300 of us have taken him up on this.  So far.

I'd like to think that there's room enough for all of this.  For ordering books online,  for public libraries, for Barnes & Noble and for independent book stores.  

I need them all.

For simple convenience when the ease of online ordering fits into my day,  for the physical pleasure of browsing the stacks, talking to librarians about books, or losing myself in the commercial aisles of a Barnes & Noble, and for the intimacies that smaller book stores provide. 

I'd like to think that the rest of the world feels the same. 

 

 

 

 

Artisan Jewelry by Little Green Apple

You might think that little green apples don't have much to do with exquisite, hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind jewelry.

But.

Don't tell  Mary Anne Green that.   She's got a thriving jewelry stand at the Fairport Farmer's Market.  You can find her along what I call the 'back 40" aisle - the vendor stands  that back up to the Fairport Credit Union's parking lot. 

The sign makes it easy to find her.

 

And, she's got a group of raving fans who absolutely ADORE what she makes.  Like me.  And my friend who shops the market every Saturday.  And many more women who wander up to her table that first time and fall in love with Mary's jewelry.

There's a  LOT to see. 

If you don't see what you want,  talk with Mary.  She made my friend an ankle bracelet because my friend asked her if she could do that.  And, Mary could.  And, she did.

This bracelet is one of my favorite pieces.  Mary collected the stones from a beach up in the Adirondacks.  Isn't it stunning?  And, it's the only one.  I didn't buy it when I first saw it.  Think I'll go back next Saturday to see if Mary still has it. 

This is Mary.  I'm not sure why she closed her eyes when my husband took her picture.  Maybe she's shy and likes to let her jewelry speak for her. 

What do you suppose her necklaces are saying?

Are any of these bracelets talking to YOU?

See the necklace in the photograph below -- the one that has three pearl stones with the antique pin?  Well,  it had SO much to say to me that I just had to buy it.

Jewelry's like that,  you know.  If you listen,  it will speak to you.   And, about the only place that Mary's  jewelry may have the chance to speak to you is at the Fairport Farmer's Market.  At least for now.

The market is Mary's store.  She doesn't have a web site.   Or an email address on her business cards.   She does have a Facebook page that her daughter put up for her. 

So.  If you like the photos  I've posted,  there are a LOT of Saturdays to come between now and mid-November when the market shuts down for the winter.  

Come out to Fairport and see if Mary's stunning, one-of-a-kind jewelry has anything to say to you!

"Wisdom in a Traffic Jam" -- Yes, This is a Book Review!

Remember that song:  "Hello, it's me and it's been a while?"   Somehow, with all of the efforts I'm putting into my dog blog and then my family's annual Adirondack vacation,  I've neglected to put in some time here. 

Thought I'd get two things done at once to make up for my absence.   Write a post that introduces you to someone I first met in 2005 and do a book review of her very first book!  Let's get the show on the road. 

 

Wisdom in a Traffic Jam, by Angella Luyk

The typical profit and loss statement for the janitorial industry is pretty bleak.  Most companies grow by just one-to-two percent annually.  “Many,” says Angella Luyk, the CEO of Midnight Janitorial, “ see only a marginal amount of money or end the year with a deficit. They end up chasing their tails.” 

She knows what she’s talking about.  In 2005, she started a commercial cleaning company with her husband, Harry.  Angella assumed the role of CEO and Harry became the CFO.  Together they grew a company that defied the odds and went on to achieve stellar success. 

They worked hard that first year and saw a 20% growth in business by year's end.   Deciding that an annual growth of 25-30% would be a realistic, manageable target goal,  they put together a business plan to meet that percentage.  And each did what they do best. 

And for each year to come, they met that target goal. 

In 2007 Midnight Janitorial was a Rochester Business Ethics award finalist, and a 2008 winner. Additionally, the company was named 2008 New York State Employer of the year (one of five companies in twenty years to win from Rochester).

And then, Angella wrote a book. 

Rather than write about Midnight Janitorial, Angella writes about her personal philosophy for starting any business and then describes all of the things that she did that led to the incredible success of her company.  Everything that Angella did can be applied to the majority of traditional business models. 

If you have ever wanted to pick someone’s brain about what it takes to start a business, Wisdom in a Traffic Jam, by Angella Luyk, is the book for you.

By her own admission, Angella was naïve about some business practices when she started her company.  And, she doesn’t hesitate to describe some of the things that happened to her – all with the intent of making sure that none of this happens to you. 

For example, she arrives at one of her very first professional networking events wearing shorts and a shirt.  After making quite the startling entrance – everyone else is wearing standard business attire – Angella realizes her mistake and also realizes that she’ll look even worse if she turns around and leaves. 

She handles this with her trademark humor and is able to turn it into a learning experience for herself and for anyone in her reading audience who is as inexperienced as she was then. 

While Angella may have needed some tips about successful networking when she was just starting out, she was fully prepared at putting together an appropriate business plan before she introduced herself to the business community at large.  She focuses on the practical applications of putting that plan together in Chapter One.  Everything that she outlines is easily transferable to a business that you may be thinking about starting. 

The chapters about networking and branding are two you will want to read more than once.  If you think you are already a pro at this, consider one fact that Angella forgets to mention in her book.  She becomes so proficient at networking in her local community and in developing her brand, that she grows her business on referrals alone. 

That’s a powerful statement.  How many of you would like to be able to make the same claim?  You’ll be off to a good start after you’ve read Chapter 5 – The Secrets to Getting Your Name Out There.

What you’ll discover as you read Wisdom in a Traffic Jam, is that Angella has included some of her professional colleagues’ insights as well.  Want to hear how one financial advisor set her sights on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Africa and how that trip almost magically came about?  Maybe you’d like to read about how a guy in the auto industry decides to build his professional brand around what women say is important to them in car repairs.

These inspiring stories are just two that are woven into the book.  You’ll also get valuable tips and suggestions about how to have an online presence, effective sales strategies, goal setting and much more. 

Angella’s conversational writing style makes you feel as if she’s talking directly to you.  The result is that she delivers her message in a light-hearted, unabashed celebration of belief in whoever is reading her book. 

Starting a business isn’t easy nor does success happen quickly.  But, if you want to take the plunge by starting your business with a cheer leader in your back pocket to keep you on track, buy Wisdom in a Traffic Jam today.  Then, as Angella writes,  “ Share your wisdom with everyone and the world will be a wiser place.” 

Please note:  I am an affiliate for Wisdom in a Traffic Jam and will receive some monetary compensation if you buy ths book from any of the links in the post or by clicking on the badge in my sidebar. 

 

 

 

 

An Open Letter to Blog Spammers - Please Take Note

Dear ______ dot com:

First of all,  I have to say I am a bit flattered that you chose to hunker yourself down in front of my blog for two nights in a row to post this one line on 32 of my posts: 

               They hoped the climber would be able to hold on until rescuers reached him.

Thank you for not leaving porn.  Rather, you've left a sentence that leaves the door open for wondering if 1) you're a frustrated writer trying to write your first best seller 2) you're writing your memoirs in the third person and, in a fit of "getting stuck," you decided to write this one sentence over and over and over AND over again until your writer's block became unstuck.

I can appreciate that.   I find myself doing this very same thing ... In. A. Word. Doc.  That. No. One.  Else.  Sees.

In fact,  after deleting your comment for the 10th time (two days ago),  I found myself making up the rest of the story about this "climber" holding on until rescuers reached him.

Who are "they" and who is "the climber?"

Perhaps "they" are the rest of the adventurers on this ...on this what?  Did they go on a peace-keeping mission to a third world country?  Did they go on a mountain climbing expedition that took two years to plan out down to the smallest detail, including the life-saving techniques that they would have to employ if one of "them" met with an accident? 

Are" they" smugglers taking their ill-gotten gains down the narrow trail that leads to their next rondevous spot when one of "them"  fell off the side of the trail, landing on a narrow ledge, where he now lays clinging to life and cursing God that he ever got involved with this motely collection of thugs?

Are "they" and "him" all male? 

And, what about "the climber?"  Who's the hero (or idiot, depending on your point of view) who got picked to be the rescuer?

As you can see, there's a lot you're leaving out here.   But, please.  Don't feel obligated to add to this one sentence in any way, ever again, because what you need to take note of is that no one (except me and whoever monitors spam where this blog is hosted) will ever see it.

Here's what happens immediately after you post a comment on my blog.

Well, not immediately,  but fairly soon after.

Your comment is put into an email notification that TypePad sends to me.  I get: 

1.  Your commenter name

2.  Your commenter email address

3.  Your commenter URL

4.  Your IP address

And, I also get the comment that you thought you were leaving on my post(s).

What happens next is completely up to me.  I get to decide if your post gets published,  deleted or marked as spam.  And,  I wonder if you can figure out what happens next?

So.  I hope I've helped to clear some things up for you.  Just in case you happen to visit my blog again tonight. 

 

 

 

 

 

Guest Post by Jeff Korhan

It's a pleasure to introduce Jeff Korhan to you.  I've been a fan for only a short time and Jeff always amazes me with the depth of material he offers on what's up and coming with social media.  Not an easy task.   In his latest series of posts, he explains what's behind the new Google + software that is (I suspect) going to be the new darling of the online marketing community. 

 

What if You Could Start Fresh With Social Media?

For most of us, our social networking communities were randomly created – they developed organically as we learned new media.

Now you have thousands of followers on Twitter and hundreds of “friends” on Facebook that you have never met.  It’s a fact we all know.

What if you could apply the learning you have acquired over the last several years and start fresh?

Read the rest of this post and to find out how you can check out Google +

 

 

What's Google Got to do With "It?"

If you are Silva Vaidhyanathan, Google has everything to do with "it."  "It" being everything on the internet (rather a tall and intimidating order).  Vaidyanathan's book: The Googlization of Everything, should probably be on your reading list. 

I'm not sure if it's fair to review a book that I've only just started to read.  However, I'm not going to rush through this one;  it's different reading than the crime fiction novels I burrow into every other day and breeze through. 

The fact that I'm on my second go-round, reading the introduction should tell you something!

Here are just a few phrases and sentences that have given me a lot to think about.

One way to begin is by realizing that we are not Google's customers:  we are its product.  (Intro, pg 3).

Googlization affects three large areas of human concern and conduct:  us,  the world and knowledge.  (Intro, pg 2).

I left out the scarey text in that last quote, so be sure you go back and read the entire paragraph.  

 

Vaidhyanathan's point is that we should be concerned about our own complacency in allowing Google to take over.  He uses phrases like:  the pursuit of global civic responsibility and the public good.  He calls for a reimagination of what we might build to preserve  quality of information and deliver it to everyone. (Intro, pg 4.)

I hope  I've lit a fire under your butt so that you find this book and take the time to s-l-o-w-l-y read it and then pass it forward and then start a conversation about it among your friends and colleagues. 

Complacency,  I'm thinking, is not a good place to be.

Big Dogs And Summer NIghts

Last night belonged to the Big Dogs.  My husband and I were out in the front yard enjoying the slight drop in temperatures, kind-of-sort-of pulling weeds from one of the flower beds and between the spaces of our front walk when one of our neighbors and her new to her dog came into view.

She had a Big Dog at the end of her leash.  My husband, who had met her previously and filled me in, had explained that she'd adopted this big guy out at Lollypop - that someone in the previous family had developed Lyme disease and was no longer able to care for the dog.

He was rumored to be "about 6 years old" and, as near as anyone could tell, he was a mix of lab and Great Pyrenees.  You could certainly see evidence of both. 

He boasted an all white coat that came out in handfulls as my husband raked his fingers through it.  Typical for all of those double-coated dogs.   What my neighbor had discovered in the two months that she had him was that,  given his choice, he'd chase cars and trucks and he didn't seem to know how to walk on a leash. He came with the name "Cain" and my neighbor, deciding he'd been through enough unsettling changes before she adopted him, decided not to change it.

And, he  was an absolute love-bug; a 140 pound, hail-fellow-well-met, easy-going kind of dog. 

Children loved him.  Their faces would light up when he came sauntering down the sidewalk.  He maintained his part of the bargain of "meet and greet"  by standing perfectly still while they came up to him, stroked his neck or buried their faces in his furry neck. 

We spent a long time enjoying his company and talking about dogs with our neighbor.  I hadn't seen her in quite  a while so playing catch-up was fun.  She was used to big dogs and, having had to euthanize  her boisterous, chocolate lab not too long ago, had made up her mind that her next dog would be a 20-pounder and female. 

And, as it always happens, sometimes the best laid plans of mice and men are cast aside when something else comes along.  For her, the "something else" was Cain.

According to Roger Caras,  only very special people should be allowed to have Great Pyrenees. He writes:

Great Pyrenees are giant dogs with more good qualities than we can catalog.  They are loyal unto death to their family; they will tackle anything that threatens them.  They are very affectionate and responsive to human moods.  They take to children naturally and are generally safe and reliable.  They are incomparable baby-sitters.  Gentle and considerate with strangers (although cautious at first), they are not usually quarrelsome. ... They are especially appealing as puppies, and once grown, they move with enormous purpose and self-assurance.

This is a breed with so many special qualities one is tempted to urge restriction of ownership and breeding to to people understanding and deserving enough to be granted those privileges. (pg. 139 of The Roger Caras Dog Book.)

We somewhat reluctantly ended our conversation and my neighbor and Cain headed down the sidewalk.  A short time later, my husband's eyes lit up as he spied what looked to be an English Mastiff and its owners headed in our direction.

What better bliss than this?

 

 

Follow Your Heart

Why is it that this simple directive "Follow Your Hear" gets way-laid, side-stepped,  misplaced, trampled on,  deliberately kicked or carelessly tossed aside? 

Did we become complacent? Forgetfull? Lazy? 

Did we just forget to pay attention as we got caught up in the daily minutia of making meals, getting laundry done, walking dogs, getting kids off to school and ourselves off to work; juggling mowing the lawn with grocery shopping,  getting together with girlfriends,  going to the gym three days a week, and checking that homework assignments get done? 

Did we start with one plan and forget to factor in that some things change with time? 

Jobs become obsolete.  Kids grow up.  We get old ...er.  If we've been paying attention all along,  we manage to stay close to what we fell in love with such a long time ago.  Not just "what" but "who."

The "what we love" is the easy part.  Books. The ocean.  Twilight.  Being physically fit.  Road trips.   Camp fires.  The Adirondacks in August.

The "who,"  family and friends,  husbands, wives,  lovers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, grandparents, neighbors ... is what makes our hearts sing and sometimes splinters it into so many pieces that we despair of ever breathing normally again.

Sometimes, those broken pieces can be reconfigured into a banadaged heart that beats just a little stronger.  And, in time,  when we take those bandages off,  we can smile at the scar because it's healed the hurt places.

So, to all my blogger friends who have slammed into unimaginable sorrow and hold the pieces of their hearts in paint-spattered hands,  hold fast to what you know and follow your heart. 

 

 

 

"How To Make Money with Social Media," Book Review

The Shape of Things to Come.

At first glance, this is a book for rank beginners to the internet - if such a thing is still possible.  It's also a visual nod to the intergration of savyy writing practices on the internet with traditional publishing.  What do I mean by that?

It's visually appealing as if the pages themselves were up on a computer screen as opposed to bound in a book.  Wide margins top-to-bottom and side-to-side.  Double spacing between paragraphs.  Bold text to highlight main ideas.  Lists.  Content broken up with graphics.  Some main points are boxed off.  And, I suspect, it's written so that any fifth grader could read and understand it. 

If you're about to write an e-book or put a book together that you want to self-publish,  you might want to pick up this book as an illustration of how to lay out the content. 

   Key Word Search.  Notice how the main title:  "How to Make Money with Social Media,"  clearly illustrates effective use of "key word search."  Want to check this out? Do a key word search over on Google or on SEOTools using "make money with Social Media" and see what pops up.   Interesting, right?

Now, notice how the secondary title:  "An Insider's Guide On Using New And Emerging Media to Grow Your Business,"  says exactly what this book is about.

Wait.  There's more.  Check out how color gets used to reinforce the very clear theme of the title - make money.  Dollar bills are what color?  Green.  What color is the book jacket?  Green.

And, finally:  what's inside this book? 

If you are a total novice when it comes to Social Media, you'll appreciate the easy-to-understand writing and the approach the authors (Jamie Turner and Reshma Shah, Ph.D) use.  They do start with a brief historical overview of advertsing before the internet which is always a good way to measure how far along, technically, things have come. 

And, they talk about Return on Investment (ROI) and they describe "systems."  If you're a regular visitor to my blog, you already know that I'm big on "systems."   As an example,  check out page 47 of this book for a very clear-cut visual chart of the five steps you want a new customer to go through if you're using a social media model to capture their interest.

Turner and Shah are "chatty" authors and periodically, they step away from their excellent "how to" writing style.   For example,  after applauding Starbucks for creating brand awareness using its web site to "...leverage people's passion about coffee ... turning it into brand loyalty."  (page 65),  and how this has made Starbucks "golden" for creating a brand that has "social media magnetism," (page 65), they step outside of there objective writing style and add these lines:

"The problem is, you're not Starbucks (unless of course, you actually are Starbucks, in which case, we'd like to say, "Hello, Starbucks!")   page 65.

I think this is  too "cutsey" and a bit distracting.  However, this is not enough of a criticism for you to avoid this book.   And, for that matter, you might like this slight of hand technique. 

All of that said,  this is a book you should put on your "to do" list regardless of your own social media background.  There are enough nuggets of information  contained in it that you'll take away one, if not more than one, action steps to intergrate into your internet branding strategy.  And, if you are Jamie Turner or Reshma Shah, "Hello authors!)