Author Archives: Rich Brooks

Crowdfunding Secrets with @emilybest

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Emily-Best-PinterestBegging for money – or soliciting contributions –  has been a time honored tradition most commonly identified by organizations such as public radio stations, non profits and even churches. Fast forward to the modern day spin on this and you’ve got crowdfunding. Crowdfunding – in a nutshell – is simply a way to solicit contributions in small amounts via the internet.

But asking for money to help fund your project is so much more involved than you might think, if you want your campaign to be successful. And isn’t that the whole point? When you figure out who your target audience is, and how to best identify with them, that’s when your campaign will gain momentum.

Emily Best is the CEO of Seed and Spark, the most effective crowdfunding platform in the world. Through launching her own crowdfunding campaign, Emily learned valuable lessons – sometimes the hard way – of what works and what doesn’t, and out of this experience Seed and Spark was born.

(This is part one of a two-part interview with Emily as she shares her personal stories and experiences with crowdfunding for her own project.)

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The Marketing Agents Mailbag – @therichbrooks

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Rich-Brooks-Pinterest-2015The Marketing Agents Podcast host, Rich Brooks, answers actual listener questions that have been sent in.  He advises on SEO and driving increased traffic to your website, how to advertise your business so it stands out in the crown and reminiscences on wise words issued from past guests of the show.  He also offers suggestions on one listener’s current website, in hopes that making a few changes will give them the boost in business that they are looking for.

“My question revolves around SEO and driving traffic to my website. If I understand correctly, all I have to do is look for keywords that have a high search rate per month that is related to the topic of my next blog and make the key phrase the title of the blog. I suppose in time this will help drive my targeted audience to my website. If this is true, then buying advertising through Google just quickens your ability to drive that traffic to you, is this correct?

I ask this because I’m trying to start my first online service and I have zero cash to invest in marketing. If my research serves me correctly, I should practice what I mentioned above, then use those same keywords in my Twitter feeds as well and somehow, magically, Google begins to send people my way. Please tell me I have finally figured this sorcery out.”

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Storytelling for Small Business – @SayItWithStory

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David LeeIf you’ve ever been to a conference or presentation, you know that not all speakers have the gift of being able to really engage their audience. What is it that makes some speakers have an edge over other speakers, and how can you get that edge for yourself?

The brain is designed to think and remember in terms of stories. By being an effective storyteller, you can not only make your point hit home harder, but it will also be more memorable to your audience. By learning new ways to tell your stories, such as personalizing them and making them relatable to your audience, you can engage them in ways that will make your message more memorable.

David Lee is an author, speaker and founder of HumanNature@Work. He helps organizations on topics related to leadership, communication and customer service, using his innovative and powerful storytelling techniques.

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Your Small Business Podcast with @jaredeasley

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Jared-Easley-PinterestWhether you’re currently a podcaster or just thinking of starting one, you’re probably aware of how much competition there is out there right now. What you need to do is find something that sets you apart from the rest of the pack. Something that will gain you visibility, attract an audience and turn them into customers.

Learning how to attract the widest audience can take some fine tuning. One way is to include those listeners that are perhaps new to the podcast world by removing some of the normal barriers to allow these first-timers to find you and listen with ease. Offering a format that is slightly different than the norm can also attract listeners as well as help you to engage them in a way that allows for future dialogue to continue.

Jared Easley has become the “podcasting guru”. In the past couple of years he has started a podcast – which was featured on Entrepreneur.com and Huffington Post – written a book and co founded the first international podcasting conference, Podcast Movement.

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How To Create Better Content – @annhandley

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Ann-Handley-PinterestWhether you are a good writer, or just think you are, creating marketing content for your business is no easy task. Ensuring that content is of the utmost quality can be downright daunting. It’s time to stop feeling like a deer in the headlights and start rethinking the way your business markets.

Communication with your audience is a privilege, so give them content that inspires engagement and truly serves the needs of your business. Understanding the writing process – whether it’s a blog or a simple tweet – and how to create a dialogue versus a monologue will serve your business well. Swapping places with your reader will give you a chance to see things from their perspective so that you’re better prepared to answer the questions that they want to know. Don’t just create more content, create better content.

Ann Handley is a content superstar. As the Chief Content Officer of Marketing Profs, keynote speaker and author of two bestselling books, Ann proves that she knows a thing or two about creating smart, engaging, effective marketing content that helps make businesses successful.

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